Our Sunday School is on a Decline

What can we do?

By Melinda Shunk, Children’s Ministry Coordinator

Sunday School is always there; it is never a required time commitment to be part of God’s team! If the week is full of planned activities, the church is going to get cut for the mandatory activities. It is seen as optional. Since our wonderful God is always there and welcoming us with open arms, parents know that they can catch Sunday School the next week when they are less committed. This applies to our volunteers as well. They have been required to give time to an extra-curricular team in order for the child to be part of the team. Sunday School does not require parent participation to be counted as part of the class.

To be clear, I am NOT suggesting that we should apply the same requirement expectations to Sunday School as the extra-curricular activities do because that is not the church. Forced religion rules mixed with shame is the fastest way to stunt any person’s spiritual development, no matter the age.

As a church body who wants families to be part of worship and class, you need to know that these wonderful parents want to give it all to their children. We were standing there when their child was baptized and we all promised to help raise the child in the faith.

As the church, we can meet those parents and structure ministry programming to meet them where they are at in life. Just like our loving Jesus went to hills, seashores, boats, roof-tops, and parties to minister to people. We don’t have to take Sunday School on the road but we can make accommodations to meet people’s schedule restraints. So how can we help them with their spiritual formation within the constraints of their current parenting schedules? How can we meet them where they are and still make disciples who make disciples?

1 PLAN a whole year in advance with times, classes and events labeled at the same time each year so families who plan can put you in their plan! Post to your WEBSITE and SOCIAL MEDIA and everywhere else you can! i.e.: bathroom stalls, pews, cardstock handouts in bulletins for at least a month. Stick to the schedule because these parents are on a schedule too, and you want the church to make the mandatory attendance list, not the optional list.

2 Volunteers and their children like short term commitments. For example, plan a class that will be held for segmented dates that are no more than six classes.ie: Dig in curriculum lessons, Jesus grows up! Sept. 8, 15 ,22 ,29 and Oct. 6 and 15 (Take two Sundays off or a fall fest/Messy Church) then the class What is Advent? Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24, and Dec.1 and 8.

3 Plan a six-session service/mission project for the whole family that is not held on a Sunday morning. Families that serve together, stay involved in church together. Shared experience of service connects us to one another.

4 Plan a six-week class, something that gets the kids in something productive/creative like drama, Children’s First service, or a Children’s Sabbath.

5 Six days a week the families have a mandatory wake up call to be at something, so it makes skipping Sunday morning easy because it is always going be there. Consider creating a Sunday evening worship and class that can be promoted as a come as you are casual worship & class time. It’s a great way for families to use Sunday evening to start their week centered with God and grab a bite to eat on their way home from church.

6 Let go of the thought that if we don’t have Sunday School every Sunday of the year people will leave (we are losing people now). We are called to make disciples, and that call does not just happen on Sunday morning between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. If you allow a Sunday School break, then have a simple multi-age class with two staff members leading a unique faith-based activity that all can enjoy during the normal Sunday school time slot. I recommend Illustrated Children’s ministry curriculum if you go that route.

7 Now about that Sunday School on the road part … It is doable! Let’s say you have several parents at your church who have kids on the same traveling team. They miss a lot of Sundays. Adapt the lesson to a quick scripture read from one of the great picture Bibles, write a couple of reflective questions to go with the scripture and a closing prayer. Send it all with some snacks in a bag with one of the parents who has agreed to be the team “chaplain” while on the road. They can do the lesson with the team on the drive or while there is some downtime between games.

Advertising in your church’s bathroom, as seen in the picture above, is a great way to let people know about your Sunday School events.

An example of a graphic that you can use to advertise a team chaplain. This graphic is available for free download on the Arkansas Conference Kids Ministry Facebook Page.